For a glimpse of (Burma)
I was in Northern Thailand close to the point where the borders of Burma, Thailand, and Laos meet. At the guesthouse, someone was organising a trip to the border. I am not a fan of tours, but the view of Burma was tempting for me. For some reason, I have always longed for Burma, and I was so close to it.
There was an elevated area. They said, “If you climb the top, you can see Burma.” Up from the height, on the other side, it sloped down to a small river. Across the river was Burma.
Even as I was climbing up the vantage point, I could hear what seemed like Rod Stewart’s “Sailing” coming from across the border. As the music got louder, I noticed that the song was in Burmese. It turned out to be a local copy of the song.
This is a popular genre in Burma. Artists create Burmese lyrics for Western songs; the lyrics may or may not be translations of the original text but often imply something similar. The genre is called Copy Thachin or “copy song”.
Now whenever I hear “Sailing,” I remember that afternoon atop the small hill and the glimpse of Burma across the river.
Update: 2022, I finally figured out that the artist is Zaw Win Htut, and the song in Burmese is called Ywat Hlwint Chin.
